Height Suppression of Cucumber and Tomato Plug Seedlings Using of Brushing Stimulus

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of height suppression of cucumber and tomato plug seedlings as affected by mechanical stimulus using brushing as environment-friendly method. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. ‘Joeunbaekdadagi’) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. ‘Mini Chal’) seeds were sown in 40-cell plug trays (54 × 27.5 × 5 cm) filled with growing medium on Oct. 9, 2017. The cultivation environment in a venlo-type glasshouse was maintained as cultivation temperature range of 15 25C and the relative humidity of 50 ± 10%. Nontreatment and diniconazole (7.5 mg·L) application at 15 days after sowing were used as the control. In addition, brushing treatments in cucumber and tomato were applied interval of 2, 4 or 6 hrs for 15 and 20 days, respectively. Plant height, hypocotyl length, and internode length were inhibited for cucumber and tomato in the diniconazole treatment than in the control. The leaf size was reduced, both cucumber and tomato, while the SPAD increased under the diniconazole treatment. However, stem diameter of cucumber was the thickest in the 2 hrs brushing interval treatment. Fresh weights of shoot and root were the significantly lowest in the diniconazole treatment. Application of brushing improved seedlings quality by promoting dry weights of shoot and root, and compactness of tomato seedlings. The chlorophyll fluorescence of tomato seedlings drastically decreased with 2 hrs treatment, indicating that mechanical stress by brushing treatment. The relative growth rate of tomato seedlings was significantly lower in the diniconazole treatment, but cucumber seedlings were not significantly different in all treatments. As a results, height suppression of cucumber and tomato seedlings was best achievement in the diniconazole treatment by the chemical as growth regulator. In an environment-friendly point of view, however, it is considered that 2 hrs brushing interval treatment can be the applicability for replacing the chemical methods in plug seedling growth of cucumber and tomato. Additional key words : compactness, Cucumis sativus, mechanical stimulus, relative growth rate, Solanum lycopersicum